Reverting back into her hellhound form, Loona returned with Balin after sharing a large popcorn chicken on the way back from his first day of school in the living world.
As they walked back into the I.M.P office, Balin finished off the chicken while Loona dug right into a hot latte, as they saw the gang prepare their gear for the next mission.
"There's my little schoolboy!" sang Millie as she ran over to him for one of her signature hugs.
"And ours!" Neptune and Marijiana added, as they gave him one kiss on each cheek.
"So how was your first day back in school, champ?" Moxxie asked as he cocked his shotgun.
"It was great, Uncle Moxxie." replied Balin happily, with a little caution about the gun, yet his careful uncle figure gave his shoulder a little pat.
"Good to hear, champ!" smiled Blitzø. "Now are there any bullies you need us to shoot?"
Balin's eyes widened in shock hearing that. "What? No. Of course not, Mr. Blitzø."
"Easy there, kiddo." Loona soothed the boy, giving Blitzø an eye-roll of frustration. "He was just playing. Like always."
"Hey, what kinda kind wouldn't wanna wish for a bully's most painful demise?" the imp said in defence.
"The kinda kid that wouldn't wanna wish to take a seat in the electric chair?" Millie answered back sarcastically.
"Can we just go before you make him nervous to start again, sir?" Moxxie remarked with an also unamused look on his face.
"So Loona, you coming to this one?" Blitzø asked his adopted daughter.
"Meh, whatever. But only to show the kid around... wherever we're going." replied Loona blankly, looking at her phone. "AND only for a little while too, I'm pretty sure he's got some homework and crap to do later, do ya, Balin?"
"Yes, Loona." nodded Balin. "But I guess, I can come too."
"So where ARE we going, boss?" asked Neptune excitingly wagging her tail.
"Some town in Montana." replied her new boss in a chuckle.
"Wow. Where is that?" asked Marijiana.
"America, little... big, lady."
Balin then showed a surprised look on his little face, hearing the word 'America' from his new friend.
"What? You ain't never been to the States before?" Loona teased him.
"No. I always wanted to go, but my mommy and daddy were always nervous to." replied the child.
"Why's that?" Blitzø asked him.
The boy was about to answer, when Loona interrupted him.
"I think we know one of the 'violent' reasons, Blitzø." Loona sheepishly replied. "Let's not explain it to him, just now."
"Yeah... he'll learn when he's older." shrugged the boss. "I have." he then turned to the two new hounds. "So you two ready to see the realm of the living?"
"Yes, sir!" Neptune and Marijiana saluted and continued wagging their tails, more assertively.
"Good girls!" Blitzø cooed and patted their fur, making them pant a little while Loona cleared her throat in offence at the sight. "What? The kid can do that to you, but I can't?"
"Ugh..." she groaned in annoyance.
"Mr. Blitzø's a weird guy." Balin said to her sympathetically.
"You have no idea, Balin." Loona lightly chuckled at the kid's innocence.
As Blitzø then opened a portal to the living world, he and his crew walked through and landed in a small Montana town of Billings.
"Okay Moxx, what's the hit?" the boss asked his star employee.
"A male stepfather in his early 40s who killed his wife's ex-husband to marry her and take secret control of her two sons." Moxxie read the dossier, and felt rather emotionally disturbed. "And he abused one of them so much, he abused him to death, bit by bit. Literally."
"So who made this hit?" Millie asked inquisitively. "The father or the son?"
"I'd rather not answer that one." Moxxie shed one or two tears from his eyes.
"Uh, shit yeah, Moxx." said Blitzø. "Hitmen just gotta do what the fuck they gotta do, no questions asked."
Just then, Loona and Balin stepped out of the portal together, as she changed into her human form.
"Okay, I got Tex to housesit for the office." Loona blankly said as she handed Blitzø the voicemail. "Here's the address, and judging from what I heard back there, it should give me 30 minutes to explore."
"So, I take it you're not coming, dear?"
"I just told you 'ONLY TO SHOW THE KID AROUND' dumbass!" she shouted, then covered her mouth to see the kid still next to her. "Sorry there, little guy." she quietly said to him.
"Nah, it's okay." the boy replied. "I heard my mommy call daddy that for fun sometimes."
"Huh. In that case..." Blitzø then pointed to his other trusty hellhounds. "Why don't we leave this one to the trainees?"
"Us?" Nep and Mari then looked over to the boss.
"Pop quiz time!" he cleared his throat. "What strategy would you girls use for this case?"
"Mmm... maybe a good old-fashioned... game of tug-of-war?" Neptune suggested. "Could work as payback for his waste of time beating instead of winning."
"I like the way you curb your attitude." Blitzø said with a little pride in his tone. "Now c'mon, the sooner we do this shit, the better we get paid. ...And Balin can do his homework."
"Speaking of which..." Neptune then kneeled down to Balin and nuzzled her cheek into his for a goodbye. "Have fun, honey. Stay safe."
"I will, Ms. Neptune." smiled Balin.
"Later guys." Loona flatly said goodbye to the guys, for now, as the others went a different direction.
BILLINGS, MONTANA...
Loona started wandering through the streets of Billings with Balin, as he read the welcome sign they walked past.
She then showed him around all the places she's been to during I.M.P's missions whenever they brought her along to the living world but still didn't need her for a bit.
Her favourite places in town included the coffee shop of course, but also the mall filled with popular stores, such as the Cinnabon that Balin drooled at the sight of. Loona just laughed seeing this as he tried to keep his little sugar addiction together.
...
Another place the two passed by was a local pet shop called 'Bitchy Gourmet Treats.'
Seeing this store made Loona groan and pinch her nose, offended by the name. So while Balin continued walking to the cookie stand called 'White Mess Cookies', she grabbed out one of her cigarettes, lit it with her almost-empty lighter, then quickly tossed it into the store before running and leaving it to burst into flames.
Thank Satan the Lord there were no actual pets in there, but at least, it saved her the hassle of having Blitzø treat her like an Earth dog whenever buying any of these gourmet treats for her.
...
Loona then did some clothes shopping at JCPenney, taking Balin with her, and soon went to another one of her favourite fashion stores, 'Icing'.
At Icing, she tried on a couple of shiny new nose piercings and even tried to buy one of the karat-gold rings, until Balin pulled out the ring he won on the Tathra trip.
"Balin?" she said in soft surprise. "Isn't that your ring?"
"Yes. But I want you to have it." he replied. "For saving me, for taking care of me, and for bringing me back to school and my parents."
Loona then flushed bright red hearing her deeds. Ones she never thought she'd do for anyone, let alone receive gifts for doing so.
"You really don't have to do that."
"No. But I want to."
"Aww, Meal. Come here." Loona opened her arms for Balin to walk over and hug her, as she gently swayed him back and forth, stroking the back of his head. "Thanks."
...
Later on, the second place in Billings she took Balin to was a Dairy Queen chain.
Walking into the store, they heard the classic Keane song 'Somewhere Only We Know' being played on the radio as they walked up to the counter.
The boy waited at a nearby table, while Loona ordered an 'M Peanut Butter Cookie Monster' blizzard for the boy and a Backyard Bacon Stash for herself, all while threatening the cashier not to touch her. As some extra intimidation, she even paid with cash from her wallet, made out of the excess human skin she kept during her missions over the years.
When the two got their meals, Loona started wolfing down into her burger like a hangry animal as usual, while Balin didn't really find his thickest thick-shake the best.
"I get it, it's your first time trying." said Loona sympathetically. "The feeling should kick in after a few tries, trust me."
But she did also say he could just trash it if it was too much for him.
Before he could though, Balin saw someone else sitting at a booth feeling left out. It was a little boy who looked like him. He was close to his age, wore a black Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt and leather jeans, and listened to rock music through his buds looking miserable.
Loona noticed it too and secretly felt sorry. Balin then looked at his beverage and made a compassionate decision.
He grabbed a new and clean paper straw from the counter and walked up to the kid, handing him his blizzard.
"It's M&M and peanut butter." he smiled, as the kid took it. "I hope you're not allergic."
"But why?" asked the little boy in surprise.
"You look like you needed it." Balin replied.
"Take it from him, little guy." grinned Loona. "He knows how to find a friend in someone."
"Wow. Thank you so much." the other boy said. "By the way, that accent... are you from England?"
"Maybe..." Balin said, trying to keep his real Australian identity a secret.
"Do you like Ozzy Osbourne?"
"Mmm, sometimes I do. I'll have a listen to his music sometime."
Soon, the conversation had to come to an end as the older boy heard the honk of a car horn outside the restaurant.
"Oh! That's my parents." he said. "Nice meeting you two! And thanks for the drink!"
"You're welcome!" Balin waved goodbye to him as he ran off.
"Good kiddo." Loona thought to herself looking at him, before rubbing Balin's head, melted by his act of kindness.
...
Finally, Loona took him to the Riverfront Park, where she reverted back to her hound form as they sat on the bench right next to the playground and the parking lot, and in front of the river.
They all looked around at all the nature surrounding them, including a different plant from the other ones on the ground.
"Ooh, Balin, look at that one over there." she pointed him to the plant, as it slowly but timely grew in the sun. "One day, I bet that kid's gonna be a beautiful tree."
"A pizza tree?" Balin cheekily looked up at her with a smile.
"No!" she then laughed at his behaviour. "God, you're so adorably funny."
As the two giggled and continued to look at the glistening river beyond the sunset, Balin thought of an idea to pass the time.
"Hey, Loona?"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Can we play a game?"
"What you got in mind?"
"TAG! You're it!" Balin lightly poked her furry thigh and ran from the bench for a head start.
"Oh, you just made a mistake, kid." cackled Loona playfully, as she stood from the bench, cracked her knuckles, and started chasing him.
MEANWHILE...
The three Cherubs from before, (Collin, Keenie, and Cletus) were searching through the national park for any sign of the demons they fought previously, once with the help of the DHORKS.
"A-A-Are you sure there's gonna be any sign of the, the kid that the owl was t-talking about?" Collin asked anxiously. "What if he isn't here, but the rest of those d-d-demons are?"
"That's why she sent those agents to scope around the rest of the world." said Cletus. "Yet, judging from all the murders those hell-beasts have done over however many years, this must be where they are."
Soon, the angels then heard some laughter coming from nearby where Balin and Loona were.
"There!" Keenie whispered, before they hid in the bushes.
Loona was chasing Balin on all fours in circles around the grass area they stood by, playing tag.
"Get over here!" she cooed as Balin laughed the loudest.
"The hellhound!" Collin shrieked, remembering his near-death experience with her. "And it's gonna eat the kid!"
"Eat him? Collin, please." scoffed Cletus. "The fuck that's gonna happen."
Soon, the Cherubs saw Loona finally pounce on the little human boy.
"Or... not?" Keenie then said next.
As she playfully growled, the hellhound started licking the boy's face repeatedly. "TAG...!" she sang, as he continued laughing from this display of affection.
"She IS eating him!" cried Cletus. "And she's tasting him first! Dear... GOD...!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Collin interjected. "Get out there and save him!"
"No!" Keenie stopped her boy friends. "Perhaps it's just doggy kisses. Like the ones you see from dogs on Earth AND in Heaven? Sure this one must be riddled with diseases of some kind, but still..."
"You're right." sighed Cletus. "We should probably wait for a real opportunity. Like when the two are far away from her, or them, so we can save him."
"Agreed / I guess..." both Keenie and Collin agreed.
So the Cherubs then floated away as Loona soon finished licking Balin's tagged little face.
THAT NIGHT...
Balin was now in his PJs at Loona's apartment watching one of his new favourite shows, The Masked Singer, only on Fox.
Loona was in the bathroom brushing her hair after a long shower. She even brushed her furry body and her long black-and-white tail too.
Soon, she walked out of the bathroom in her pyjamas and leaned towards Balin from behind the couch.
"Okay, Meal." she smiled softly at him. "You ready for bed?"
"No, no." Balin wearily argued in his tired state. "I want to watch Masked Singer."
"I know, but you have another school day tomorrow." she giggled.
The hellhound then sat down with him and laid him next to the soft and warm fur on her waist, as a way of helping him fall asleep.
"Take it off. Take it off... Take it..." Balin quietly chanted as he drifted off to sleep next to Loona and started snoring like a sleeping baby.
Loona just kept her smile as she rubbed his head with her other paw.
"Good night, cute little Balin." she whispered out loud, then in her head. "This actually IS kinda fun. Then again, if the others heard this, I'd personally deny it."
She left the TV on to watch the panelists tried to find out who the eliminated masked singer was. The celebrity's costume was a wine glass with two eyes in the wine.
"Rita, who do you believe Tall Glass of Wine is?" TV's Nick Cannon asked his fellow panelists chronologically.
"I believe, based off of those sultry incredible vocals, this is Ke$ha, Nick." Rita Ora replied.
"Dr. Ken?"
"I know EXACTLY who this is!" boasted Ken Jeong. "This HAS to be... SUSAN BOYLE!"
The crowd then booked at Dr. Ken Jeong for what a horrible guess that was, even Loona laughed too.
"Sit your ass down!" she and Nick shouted at him together.
"Jenny, make some sense outta this, please!" Nick continued.
"Nick, unlike Ken at times, I actually have the golden ear for popstars." said Jenny, holding up a golden ear trophy. "So we've gotten a lotta beach clues. From her Ambassador, Bethany Hamilton aka: Macaron, and the crossword puzzle, showing various lyrics from the Beach Boys. This is without a doubt, Spring Break legend, Ms. Verosika Mayday!"
"Wait... what?" snickered Loona, showing a puzzled look on her face over that guess.
"And finally, Mr. Robin Thicke."
"VEROSIKA MAYDAY!" the multi-platinum singer-songwriter shouted his guess in excitement.
Everyone started chanting 'Take it Off!' over the next 15 seconds, even Loona joined in. And soon, the Glass of Wine costume was revealed to be Verosika Mayday, in her human form.
"There she is! Sex icon! Pop icon! Verosika Mayday!" Nick announced loudly. "So great to finally see you! Now, you've graced stages and seduced beaches across the country. Why the Masked Singer?"
"Because recently Nick, I've met someone... very special to me and one of my friends back home. She's been raising him after he lost his parents to the system, and I wanted to do something that was dedicated to someone, see if I can get them to smile together. So Balin Johnson, Loona girl, this one's for you."
Everyone on the TV awed at this, from the audience to the panel, even Loona showed a proud look on her face.
"So is there anything else you'd like to share with family, friends, everywhere else?" asked Nick again.
"Absolutely. Be strong! Be kind! Love one another! Except for an ex, don't take shit from him." announced Verosika strongly as everyone cheered.
Soon, Loona turned off the TV and looked back at Balin, still asleep by her side, then decided to spend the night on the couch with him.
So she laid back on one side of the couch and placed him in between her thighs, resting his head on her tummy like a pillow, wrapping her bushy tail around him, and gave his cheek a good night lick.
"Good night, Balin." she whispered to him again. "I'll spoil the ending tomorrow." Soon, she closed her eyes, opened her drooling mouth, and fell asleep.
...
Meanwhile, Blitzø recorded everything on his camcorder and this time, smiled at the beautiful caretaker Loona had turned out to be.
A/N: The little kid in the Dairy Queen scene is a cameo whose creative properties belong to my good friend and inspiration to the story, Mr. Metalbrony823. Thank you.
See y'all in the next chapter.